Functional MRI-based Assessment of Terlipressin vs. Octreotide on Renal Function in Cirrhotic Patients With Acute Variceal Bleeding (CHESS1903)

Summary

Acute variceal bleeding is one of the critical complications in patients with cirrhosis. Due to remarkable improvements in diagnostic and therapeutic modalities such as vasoactive agents, endoscopic therapy and antibiotics, the overall prognosis has been improved during the past several decades. However, it is still associated with increased mortality that is still around 20% at 6 weeks. Patients with advanced cirrhosis have an intense overactivity of the endogenous vasoactive systems characterized by arterial hypotension and low peripheral vascular resistance. Severe renal vasoconstriction in consequence of marked arterial vasodilatation in splanchnic circulation triggers the reduction of glomerular filtration rate, and thus induces acute kidney injury (AKI)/hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), which have been further implicated in the increasing mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Renal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a technique considered superior to the most common method used to estimate the glomerular filtration rate, allows for non-invasive, accurate measurements of renal structures and functions in both animals and humans. It has become increasingly prevalent in research and clinical applications. In recent years, renal fMRI has developed rapidly with progress in MRI hardware and emerging post-processing algorithms. Function related imaging markers could be acquired via renal fMRI, encompassing water molecular diffusion, perfusion, and oxygenation. The study will use phase contrast - MR angiography, intravoxel incoherent motion - diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) and blood-oxgen-level-dependent (BOLD)-MRI to evaluate renal functional changes after using vasoactive medications in patients with cirrhosis. The rationale for the use of vasoactive medications, including terlipressin and octreotide, is to produce splanchnic vasoconstriction and reduce portal blood flow and portal pressure, thereby underpinning the application of these vasoactive drugs in the management of cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding. Meanwhile, terlipressin has been recommended as the international first-line pharmacological therapy for the treatment of HRS because terlipressin may improve renal hemodynamics, improve renal function and potentially enable HRS a reversible condition without the need of liver transplantation. However, the renal protection effect of terlipressin vs. octreotide remains unknown. In this study, the investigators aim to conduct a multicenter, single-blind randomized controlled trial to compare the renal protection effect of terlipressin vs. octreotide assessed by fMRI in the management of cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding.

Timeline

Start

2019-07-16

Primary completion

2020-07-15

Completion

2022-10-15

Publications

• Background Gines P, Schrier RW. Renal failure in cirrhosis. N Engl J Med. 2009 Sep 24;361(13):1279-90. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra0809139. No abstract available.
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• Background Martin-Llahi M, Pepin MN, Guevara M, Diaz F, Torre A, Monescillo A, Soriano G, Terra C, Fabrega E, Arroyo V, Rodes J, Gines P; TAHRS Investigators. Terlipressin and albumin vs albumin in patients with cirrhosis and hepatorenal syndrome: a randomized study. Gastroenterology. 2008 May;134(5):1352-9. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2008.02.024. Epub 2008 Feb 14.
• Background Levacher S, Letoumelin P, Pateron D, Blaise M, Lapandry C, Pourriat JL. Early administration of terlipressin plus glyceryl trinitrate to control active upper gastrointestinal bleeding in cirrhotic patients. Lancet. 1995 Sep 30;346(8979):865-8. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(95)92708-5.
• Background Seo YS, Park SY, Kim MY, Kim JH, Park JY, Yim HJ, Jang BK, Kim HS, Hahn T, Kim BI, Heo J, An H, Tak WY, Baik SK, Han KH, Hwang JS, Park SH, Cho M, Um SH. Lack of difference among terlipressin, somatostatin, and octreotide in the control of acute gastroesophageal variceal hemorrhage. Hepatology. 2014 Sep;60(3):954-63. doi: 10.1002/hep.27006. Epub 2014 Jul 25.
• Background Abid S, Jafri W, Hamid S, Salih M, Azam Z, Mumtaz K, Shah HA, Abbas Z. Terlipressin vs. octreotide in bleeding esophageal varices as an adjuvant therapy with endoscopic band ligation: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Am J Gastroenterol. 2009 Mar;104(3):617-23. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2008.147. Epub 2009 Feb 17.
• Background Cavallin M, Kamath PS, Merli M, Fasolato S, Toniutto P, Salerno F, Bernardi M, Romanelli RG, Colletta C, Salinas F, Di Giacomo A, Ridola L, Fornasiere E, Caraceni P, Morando F, Piano S, Gatta A, Angeli P; Italian Association for the Study of the Liver Study Group on Hepatorenal Syndrome. Terlipressin plus albumin versus midodrine and octreotide plus albumin in the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome: A randomized trial. Hepatology. 2015 Aug;62(2):567-74. doi: 10.1002/hep.27709. Epub 2015 Feb 13.
• Background Wang YC, Tang A, Chang D, Zhang SJ, Ju S. Significant perturbation in renal functional magnetic resonance imaging parameters and contrast retention for iodixanol compared with iopromide: an experimental study using blood-oxygen-level-dependent/diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in rats. Invest Radiol. 2014 Nov;49(11):699-706. doi: 10.1097/RLI.0000000000000073.
• Background Chang D, Wang YC, Xu TT, Peng XG, Cai Y, Wang L, Bai YY, Ju S. Noninvasive Identification of Renal Hypoxia in Experimental Myocardial Infarctions of Different Sizes by Using BOLD MR Imaging in a Mouse Model. Radiology. 2018 Jan;286(1):129-139. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2017161998. Epub 2017 Aug 4.
• Yan X, Shao R, Wang Y, Mao X, Lei J, Zhang L, Zheng J, Liu A, Zhao H, Gao F, Wang J, Li P, Yao S, Xu M, Xu J, Liu D, Mi Y, Gong X, Ye J, Deng M, Dang T, Ji J, Shao C, Liu C, Gu Y, Wu Y, Wang F, Teng G, Li X, Qi X, Ju S, Qi X. Functional magnetic resonance imaging-based assessment of terlipressin vs. octreotide on renal function in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding (CHESS1903): study protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Ann Transl Med. 2019 Oct;7(20):586. doi: 10.21037/atm.2019.09.141.

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